A revival lunch after 14 years – still good, but lost its glory: Restaurant Torcolo (3. August 2024)
Back in June 2010, I’ve been to the Torcolo da Barca, and I’ve tried one of the best pastas in my life (click here for the review from 2010). Since I was in Verona again, I decided to give this place another try. When entering the place, I was a bit surprised as it had changed quite a bit from the way I had it in my mind. The general layout was the same, but back in the days it was like a very traditional location from the 80ies, and now it was very decorated with a lot of lights and the like – not really enjoyable.
In any case, the rest remained the same – the staff was superbly friendly and very attentive, making sure you’d have everything you needed at all times. So, the concept of different people attending the same table was still true. Once you’ve placed your order, you would get a little surprise from the kitchen in the form of a “potato mash with bacon”, which was absolutely smooth and rich, so, a good start.
I then went for the “Fassona beef tartare (with olive oil, mustard, soy, caper and Tropea red onion)” (EUR 19.00) and let me tell you, this was delicious. One of the better tartars I’ve had enjoyed in the last few months. It was perfectly hand-cut in a way that the pieces were not too small and not too big – just perfect. And the mixture of the ingredients made it a truly delicious bite. Loved it! So, I was excited to try the main – which I ordered and hoped to be the closest to the seafood pasta I’ve tried back then.
The “fettuccine with Sicilian shrimps (with zucchini cream, shellfish bisque, almond panure and bread)” (EUR 23.50) looked promising, so, I was rather excited to try it. But, despite the pasta being good, no question, it wasn’t living up to my expectations. The pasta wasn’t perfectly al dente as I would have hoped for and somehow, it was good, but it just didn’t do the same in terms of flavour combination – unfortunately.
To be fair, it’s complaining on a high level, but it definitely overall didn’t meet the standards I remember from back then. The food was good, the tartare even excellent, the service was friendly and attentive, and the prices are fair. The atmosphere has, unfortunately, definitely not improved since, though. So, to sum it up, it wasn’t as good as it was back then, but it is still a safe bet in terms of good solid Italian food.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Torcolo
Via Carlo Cattaneo 11
37121 Verona (I)
Tel.: +39 04 58 03 37 30
E-Mail: info@ristorantetorcolo.it
Homepage: http://www.ristorantetorcolo.it